Kaspar portrayed how if an individual lacks the motivation to do anything with their own life, nothing will come of it. The art starts with this individual doing nothing but eating, sleeping, drinking, and repeat. If left alone, he will continue to do the same thing for the rest of his life. Later on this other character is introduced and slowly but surely the individual is taught on how to read, walk, etc. However during the process, the individual did not understand what the meaning of doing these tasks were for. While walking, he was complaining and crying. Even to the end, when the man in black gave him a letter and disappears, he does not know what to do. Without the assistance of the man in black he ultimately cannot move. This show how the man in black nurtured him up until this point. But once he is gone, the individual had no clue on how to operate anymore. Without the incentive of the horse, which was making him reluctant to learning to walk, he individual just stand there. He knows without the horse, there is no point in moving anymore. (Michael)
Kaspar represents someone who has no meaning in life. His purpose in life is existing instead of living. He has been living alone in a box. He has no sense of living; he simply lays there or plays with his horse. He never tried to stand up or walk around. He has no idea what to do with his life. He is in his only tiny bubble, except he doesn’t really care at all. That is until a stranger in black appears and teaches him the how to walk and read. Kaspar did not question the stranger’s intentions at all; he just went along with it. He does not understand why he’s doing any of this, but he did not ask. The man’s existence is what got Kaspar to leave the cellar and have a small insight of the outside world. After dragging Kaspar out of his cellar, the man left him. But immediately, Kaspar is back to his original self. This shows how dependent and lost he is. He has no clue on what to do with his life or who he is as a person. (Ivy)
Kaspar by Diane Obomsawin is an animated short that tells the story of Kaspar who is a young man who basically discover life after spending his entire life in a dark cellar with a wooden horse as his only company. Since he was in the cellar all his life, he received food through a hole, he didn’t know other humans existed, didn’t know any language or what anything was. In my opinion, this animated short investigates the nature of reality and that perception is something that can be controlled. The short is a reminder of the bubbles we psychologically live in. We perceive our lives as the only way to live. It also speaks to the power of mystery in defining reality. When there is no rational explanation and no way to investigate the claims. The perception is a capacity to “see” in light of experience. Our perception alters of our world according to our understanding, insight, and experience. Also, Kasper basically grows up outside of civilization so the story hints at the themes of human nature vs human civilization. (Alexandria)
6 responses so far ↓
f.steide // Apr 2nd 2016 at 3:05 am
i agree with your posts. Kaspar in the beginning seemed to be lazy and unmotivated. He appeared to have no meaning in life and seems misguided. Until the man in black who changed his view on life and perception of himself. Kaspar saw a new meaning in life. I agree that the man taught kaspar to be better for himself. As an individual kaspar was misguided and since the man in black appeared. Life for kaspar changed.
f.falconite // Apr 2nd 2016 at 6:41 am
I also agree with your posts. Kasper begins life as a bored and trapped individual who can’t find his meaning to life. After the introduction of the second character came along. He tried to help Kasper and in the end after a lot of work and chores Kasper’s life changed drastically. I like who you said that Kasper was in his own “tiny bubble and i found it very ironic that he didn’t mind being in this bubble isolated from the rest of the world.
d.kravetskaya // Apr 2nd 2016 at 7:49 am
Ivy makes a good point when she says that even after the man in black teaches Kaspar to do a few things, Kaspar still lacks understanding and the desire to promote those skills. It is surprising that Kaspar, after living in a cellar for so long, does not find a reason to practice and strive on him own. Instead, he constantly needs to await the man in black to be guided with instructions creating a sense that Kaspar is satisfied with doing nothing and sees no apparent purpose in simply just standing upright. It is also very interesting that he does not in any given way try to improve his life or work on his taught skills, even when exposed to the world.
m.to1 // Apr 2nd 2016 at 8:45 am
I think Alexandria hits it on the dot with her reasoning of modern lives. We follow a social norm but rather than thinking about the exact reason of following it, we just do it. We do not think for ourselves in a way and find what is true to us. Like the man in black, there is an invisible line that guides people to do certain things. And so i think Kaspar ultimately is showing how we have to think for ourselves rather than just become a sheep and go with the flow.
s.lau // Apr 2nd 2016 at 11:19 am
Response to Michael
I agree with your comments. Kaspar lacks self-motivation and individuality as all he does is stay in the cellar and do nothing. His daily routine consists of eating, playing with the horse and sleeping. He has not idea of what the world looks like outside of the cellar. He also does not have an curiosity to explore the outside world. The black man serves as a guidance for Kaspar and without him, he is nothing. This is shown when the black man leaves him and Kaspar just stands in one place, clueless and hopeless.
JMERLE // Apr 2nd 2016 at 11:24 am
Yes, you all discuss an important point in Kaspar, that of the idea of what someone will do with his life, if left entirely alone, and most of you are saying that this individual will do nothing. This is certainly a fair point. But instead of re-examining the central issue, you could examine the issue from different perspectives, and also, work to get much more detailed in your responses. Use quotes and specific details from the images to lend yourselves more authenticity. Also, how does this text connect with “Acrostic” and the visual texts on our blog space? For Wed., think too, how this specific issue you are discussing connects to “The Metamorphosis.”
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